Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday.

It is officially cold in Michigan, so I’m ready for comfort food. There was frost worthy of scraping on my windshield this morning.

This week we are going Glamping (glamour camping in an RV) for the first time ever.  A crazy, adventuresome and generous friend of ours rented a 30 foot RV and asked us to join her for three days of bon-firing, hiking and relaxing in our toasty warm camper on wheels. We are headed to the West side of the state and will be greeted by the burning oranges and reds of a West  Michigan autumn.

I am so excited.  I am bringing vegan marshmallows and enough fleece to stock a Lands End Outlet. I plan to nap with Chloe,  dunk vegan cookies into steaming mugs of herbal tea and read a new book by a roaring bon-fire.

Since we are vegan and our friend is not, it is an excellent opportunity to show her how easy it is to create hearty, delicious vegan meals, even while glamping.  This recipe for Sloppy Janes is a fun and easy way to replicate a traditional meaty favorite, we think of it as vegan sloppy joes.  It is good old fashioned comfort food for sure.  We made a biggie batch of this to take with us. They are going to be the perfect meal after a chilly hike through the changing leaves.

Sloppy Janes by S. Duquet and S. Boulton

Ingredients

15 oz can tomato sauce

6 oz can of tomato paste

1 C water

1 C diced green chiles

1 C frozen or fresh corn kernels

1 C sliced black olives

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 C cooked green or brown lentils

8 C water to cook your lentils

Make it Happen

~Rinse lentils removing any shriveled lentils or debris

~In a large pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil then reduce to a very low simmer immediately.

~Cook for 20-30 minutes, leaving lentils al dente, set aside.

~In a sauce pan, simmer all remaining ingredients except for lentils for 10 min on medium low.

~Add lentils to sauce mixture and simmer together for another 15 min, serve.

Enjoy your Sloppy Janes on the roll of your choice I thought they would also be delish on onion rolls. This recipe will be a great fit for your next with your tailgating or weekend adventures.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: E2 friendly recipes, meatless meal, Meatless Monday recipe, meatless mondays entree, meatless sloppy joes, Sloppy Janes, vegan Sloppy Joes, vegan tailgaiting food, vegan wannabe, vegetarian sloppy joes